Self-latching hinge

ABSTRACT

THE FOLLOWING SPECIFICATION DESCRIBES A DOOR OR CABINET HINGE IN WHICH A LATCH INTERGRALLY FORMED ON ONE OF THE HINGE LEAVES ENGAGES A LEAF SPRING CAMOUFLAGED BY THE OTHER LEAF ON CLOSING OF THE DOOR FOR LATCHING THE DOOR CLOSED WITH THE SPRING SERVING TO PIVOT THE DOOR CLOSED.

NOV. 30, 1971 R 5, CARTwmGHT ETAL 3,623,185

SELF-LATCHING HINGE Filed Feb. 2, 19'70 United States Patent O 3,623,185 SELF-LATCHING HINGE Robert S. Cartwright, Booneville, and James R. Deadrick,

Winston-Salem, N.C., assignors to Stewart-Warner Corporation, Chicago, Ill.

Filed Feb. 2, 1970, Ser. No. 7,876 Int. Cl. E05d 11/08 'U.S. Cl. 16-142 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The following specification describes a door or cabinet hinge in which a latch integrally formed on one of the hinge leaves engages a leaf spring camouaged by the other leaf on closing of the door for latching the door closed with the spring also serving to pivot the door closed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The invention relates in general to self-latching hinges and more particularly to an economical self-latching and closing cabinet hinge of pleasing appearance.

Description of the prior art "Self-closing or self-latching hinges often utilize a spring biased cam follower which rotates around a cam coaxial with the hinge pin to both close and latch the door in the closed position, after the follower engages a predetermined or recessed portion of the cam. This structure is relatively expensive and since the cam follower is relatively large and usually a plastic material, camouflage is difficult, 4while the number of parts creates a space problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Briey, the present invention avoids the above problems through the use of a leaf spring in the space between the two hinge leaves. `The leaf spring depends from the hinge pin in a coplanar abutting relationship with the leg forming the knuckle of one of the hinge leaves. A tab on the end of the spring projects toward the other leaf for engagement with a` latch rotated with the opposite leaf in response to closing of the door with the spring also serving to bias or rotate the door closed. The latch is formed integrally with the other leaf While the spring also being of metal permits facile camouflage of the parts. Due to the simplicity of the arrangement, extreme economy is obtained in the minimum of space.

Accordingly, one object of the present invention is the provision of a more economical self-latching and closing cabinet hinge.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a self-latching hinge of improved appearance and/or size. v

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent on examination of the following specifi cation and claims together with the drawings.

DESCRIPTION IOF THE DRAWINGS 3,623,185 Patented Nov. 30, 1971 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIG. l, a hinge assembly is indicated therein by the reference character 10. The hinge assembly comprises a frame leaf 12 and a door leaf 14 fastened, respectively, to a cabinet frame 16 and a cabinet door 18 by means such as screws 20.

The frame leaf 12 is generally L-shaped with one leg 22 fixed to the frame 16 and the other leg 24 projecting outwardly of the frame and having a knuckle or loop 26 formed at the end of the leg 214 for receiving a hinge pin 28. The pin 28 has a head 30 at each end.

The other hinge leaf 14 is also generally L-shaped with one leg 32 fastened to the inside surface of a conventionally rabitted door and the other leg bifurcated to form two spaced arms 34 with a respective knuckle 36 on the end of each arm 34 looped over the pin 28 adjacent the opposite pin ends. The two arms 34 are joined at a position just below the hinge pin 28 and adjacent knuckle 26 by an integrally formed latch 38. Latch 38 projects downwardly and towar-ds leg 24 of leaf 12 as seen in FIG. 2, when the door is closed, and terminates at a position intermediate legs 24 and 34 and spaced from frame 16 with an upwardly or reverse tab 40 on the end thereof directed toward pin 28.

The latch 38 is engaged by a cantilever leg 42 of a leaf spring 44 to latch the door in closed position. The leg 42 of leaf spring 44 is formed on the end of a leg 46 parallel and adjacent leg 24 and projects from adjacent the door frame 16 toward latch 38 for engaging latch 38 so as to bias latch 38 in a clockwise direction as seen in FIG. 2. The leg 42 terminates at the end opposite leg 46 in a downwardly extending arcuate tab 48 for facilitating engagement between latch 38 and spring 44 on closing movement of the door 18.

The leaf spring leg 46 opposite leg 42 terminates outwardly of the frame in a knuckle or loop 50. The loop 50 wraps around a reduced diameter portion of the pin 28 to accommodate the loop 26 on leg 24 overlapping loop 50 so that loop 26 occupies the same external diameter as loops 36. The loop 26 terminates in a tongue 52, which engages the leg 46 of spring 44 to prevent rotation of the spring leg `46 from its position adjacent leg 24.

On opening of the door 18, the latch 38 swings counterclockwise about the axis of pin 28, as seen Iby the difference in the latch position between FIGS. 2 and 3. The latch 38 disengages from the spring leg 42 after flexing the leg downwardly as seen in FIG. 2 about the juncture of legs 42 and 46. Thereafter, on closing the tab 40 and 48 of latch 38 and spring 44 engage to flex the spring leg 42 about its juncture with leg 46 toward the frame, and as the tabs move past their point of maximum engagement, the spring pressure is relieved against latch 38 to rotate the latch 38, leaf I14 and door 18 toward the closed position. The door is then held latched closd by the latch 38 engaged behind the spring leg 42 and in the space defined vby the acute angle formed between spring legs 42 and 46. Camouflage of the latch and spring are provided by the overlapped door 18 and since the latch and spring are of metal, their finish and appearance correspond to the leaves 12 and 1'4.

The foregoing is a description of a self-latching hinge whose inventive concepts are believed more fully set forth in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A self-latching hinge for use in hnging a door to a frame comprising a pair of hinge leaves fixed to said door and said frame respectively, a pin, a leg on each leaf terminating in a knuckle looped over a respective axial portion of said pin, a leaf spring having a loop on one end wrapped over said pin with said loop extending axially of said pin and overlapped by a knuckle on one of said leaves, a leg projecting from the other endof said leaf spring, and a latch integrally formed on the other of said leaves for engagement by said projecting leg to latch sa-id door closed in response to said door being moved to a closed position and adapted to flex said projecting leg for disengaging said latch from said projecting leg in response to an opening movement of said door.

2. A self-latching hinge for use in hing-ing a door to a frame comprising a pair of hinge leaves fixed to said door and said frame respectively, a pin, a leg on each leaf terminating in a knuckle looped over a respective axial portion of said pin, a leaf spring having a loop on one end wrapped over said pin, a leg projecting from the other end of said leaf spring, a latch integrally formed on one of said leaves for engagement by said projecting leg to latch said door closed in response to said door being moved to a closed position and adapted to flex said projecting leg for disengaging said latch from said projecting leg in response to an opening movement of said door, and a reduced diameter portion formed in said pin with said leaf spring loop wrapped over said reduced diameter portion and the knuckle of said hinge leaf fixed to said frame overlapping said leaf spring loop whereby the outer surface of each knuckle occupies the same diameter.

3. In the hinge claimed in claim 1, a tongue formed on the end of said overlapped knuckle for holding said leaf spring in abutting relationship with the respective hinge leaf leg.

4, The hinge claimed in claim 1 in which said projecting leg extends in cantilever fashion at an acute angle from said spring other end, and a tab is formed on the free end of said projecting leg with said tab projecting in the opposite direction from said projecting leg to facilitate engagement between said latch and leaf spring projecting leg.

5. The hinge claimed in claim 1 in which said leaf spring projecting leg extends toward the hinge leaf fixed to said door and said latch projects toward the hinge leaf fixed to said frame in response to said door being in said closed position and said latch terminates intermediate the legs of said leaves.

6. A self-latching hinge for use in hinging a door to a frame comprising a pair of L-shaped hinge leaves one of which has one leg fixed to said door and the other of which has one leg xed to said frame, a pin, a knuckle on each other leg of each hinge leaf looped over a respective axial portion of said pin, rsaid pin having a reduced diameter portion adjacent the axially central portion of said pin, a leaf spring, a loop on one end of said leaf spring wrapped over said reduced portion and overlapped by the knuckle on one leaf fixed to said door, a tongue on the end of said knuckle overlapping said loop for holding said leaf spring in abutting relationship with said other leg of said leaf spring'fixed to said frame, a leg on the other end of said leaf spring projecting from said leaf spring at an acute angle toward the other leg of the hinge leaf xed to said door and terminating in a tab directed toward the surface of said frame, and a latch integrally formed on said hinge leaf fixed to said door and directed toward said one leaf fixed to said frame when said door is closed for latching engagement between said projecting leg and leaf spring in response to said door being moved to a closed position.

7. The hinge claimed in claim 6 in which said latch comprises a projection from the other leg of said hinge leaf fixed to said door and said latch terminates intermediate the other leg of each hinge leaf in response to said door being in closed position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1966 Gorton FRANCIS K. ZUGEL, Primary Examiner D. L. TROUTMAN, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 16-180 

